EcoVillage

Encanto as a model for an Advanced Energy Community

With support from the California Energy Commission (CEC) Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) Program to provide affordable renewable energy for under-served communities, Groundwork has master planned the Chollas EcoVillage in Encanto. Designed to serve as a model for communities throughout California, the Chollas EcoVillage project will provide energy/water efficiency education and tools, and will build large scale community solar projects. Project goals are to: .

Create community-driven climate action through education and training

Develop affordable and accessible green renewable energy

Build and work through public and private partnerships

Strive for a Zero Net Energy community where community energy demand is met by community energy production

Provide a replicable, scalable model

The Chollas EcoVillage Project is planning/designing/preparing the Chollas EcoVillage as an community with unprecedented access to technology and best-practices to achieve an economic, environmental and performance optimization of school, business and residential loads. A model and pathway for a community energy project to provide access to affordable green energy has been designed and will be shared throughout California. The project benefits will include improved safety, reliability, and lower costs.

The community energy projects proposed will generate local construction and maintenance jobs, as well as a commercial/residential energy efficiency program that will add value to project area participating properties. One of the community solar projects will serve in an ongoing capacity as a green energy training center. The project’s affordable green energy outcomes will provide financial benefit to DAC residents.

The project’s neighborhood-scale environmental benefits derive from its climate action and public/private partnership outcomes. Specifically, the outreach program (social media; institutional/NGO /faith based; single/multi -family) will deliver benefits through energy education and conservation with an emphasis upon renewable generation, efficiency behaviors, structural improvements. This programming will be supported by and delivered in collaboration with the project’s many public/private partnerships, including San Diego Unified School District, University of California, City of San Diego, SANDAG, SDG&E, and others.